Headlines
Nepal asks foreign rescuers to go, India lists assistance
Kathmandu, May 4
Nepal on Monday told all
countries to withdraw their rescuers from the quake-ravaged country as
India said it had carried out its biggest ever response to any natural
calamity abroad.
As the death toll from the April 25 disaster
surged to 7,365 with more than 14,000 people injured, Nepal prepared to
send home all foreign rescue and search teams.
Since search and
rescue work was almost complete, the remaining task can be executed by
Nepali teams, the Central Natural Calamity Relief Committee said.
New
Delhi, which has deployed hundreds of military and medical personnel
across the Himalayan nation, confirmed it would be pulling out its
rescue teams from Nepal along with 34 other countries.
"Rescue
teams from all 34 nations have been asked to withdraw as it is now nine
days since the quake," external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas
Swarup said. He added that India's "relief efforts will continue".
The
highest number of 2,838 deaths has been recorded in Sindhupalchok
district followed by Kathmandu (1,202). Officials said 10,744 government
buildings had been flattened. Similarly, 191,058 houses were destroyed.
Despite
asking foreign teams to go, Nepal sought more relief material and funds
from the international community to help the quake victims.
Foreign
Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey said: "We need huge (amounts of)
relief material to address the woes of thousands, including funds for
rebuilding, reconstruction and relocation of thousands of structures and
displaced people."
Pandey was addressing the diplomatic communities including the ambassadors of India, China and the US.
In
New Delhi, speaking on the occasion of Buddha Poornima, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said the situation in Nepal was "beyond our imagination"
and said India would share the pain of the Nepalese people.
"I pray to Buddha that the earthquake victims should not suffer any more," he added.
In
Kathmandu, the Indian embassy declared that New Delhi's massive rescue
and relief work in Nepal was its biggest response to a natural calamity
in a foreign country.
Ambassador Ranjit Rae made the observation
during a briefing given to the Kathmandu-based diplomats on India's
ongoing assistance following the quake that has caused widespread
destruction.
"Operation Maitri" is the largest ever support
operation by India in response to a natural calamity abroad, a statement
from the Indian embassy said.
"It represented not only the
deepest commitment at the highest political level in India but also
overwhelming outpouring of support from the people of India and over a
dozen Indian states including those bordering Nepal."
He said the
first Indian Air Force flight landed in Kathmandu with rescue teams
from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and relief material
within six hours of the devastating quake.
Thereafter, 32 IAF
flights brought in 520 tonnes of relief material containing tents,
blankets, medicines, food, water, heavy engineering equipment,
ambulances, RO plants, oxygen generators, two full-fledged army field
hospitals with 18 medical teams, 18 army engineering teams and 16 NDRF
teams.
"These teams have been working round-the-clock since
their deployment in close coordination with the government of Nepal," he
said.
Eight MI-17 and five ALH helicopters of the Indian Army,
operating from Kathmandu and Pokhara, have carried 207 tonnes of relief
material in 449 sorties, evacuated over 900 injured and transported over
1,700 stranded people of various nationalities, the envoy said.
He
added that some 4,500 tonnes of relief material containing food, water,
medicines, tents, blankets, tarpaulins and plastic sheets from Bihar
and Uttar Pradesh had reached Nepal.
Eight fresh tremors were
recorded on Monday in Nepal. A senior official said the aftershocks
might last for months "and there is no need to worry much".